Public Health Bulletin. 29th December 2015 Produced by NHS libraries in Thames Valley and Wessex
Please find below a list of news items from the past fortnight that may be of interest to those involved in public health. This Bulletin provides topical news and reports of relevance to public health teams, community health practitioners and anyone with an interest in health promotion. It is produced fortnightly by a team of librarians from across Wessex and Thames Valley. It is compiled by one member of the team on a rota basis and then sent to the others in order that they can add their own local public health news items before circulating to public health staff. If anyone is interested in joining the scheme or would like to know more please contact Barbara Moye ([email protected]).
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Details of alternative current awareness services which cover more academic/specialist sources of information can be found in the section Other Bulletins. Your local NHS library service can assist you in accessing other current awareness services/tailored alerts, locating peer reviewed journal articles and answer any other queries you may have regarding finding information.
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Alcohol misuse Infant and child health Chronic conditions Obesity Communicable diseases Older people Diet & nutrition Prison health Disability Safety and accident prevention Drug Misuse Sexual Health Environmental health Smoking Emergency planning Women’s health Health promotion Local news Health protection Health Services administration
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Alcohol misuse
Minimum alcohol pricing plan 'may breach EU law' 23rd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
A European court has said the Scottish government's case for a minimum unit price for alcohol is contrary to EU law if other tax options exist.
A&E visits for alcohol poisoning 'double in six years' 22nd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Hospital visits for alcohol poisoning have doubled in six years, with the highest rate among young women. Emergency admissions due to the effects of alcohol, such as liver disease, have also risen by more than 50% in nine years to 250,000 a year in England.
Alcohol weary Brits admit they need a break 18th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
PHE encourages drinkers to take a break from alcohol as many admit they need a break as festive season hits peak on ‘Booze’s Black Friday’.
Chronic conditions
Over 500 UK patients gain early access to new melanoma treatment 23rd December 2015 Source: Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Patients with advanced melanoma are among the first in the world to access pembrolizumab through the early access to medicines scheme (EAMS).
Blood pressure drugs rethink urged 24th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
More lives could be saved if doctors considered giving blood pressure drugs to all patients at high risk of heart disease - even if their blood pressures are normal, a study suggests.
Communicable diseases
Scarlet fever: beginning of a new season 18th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
Early indications for 2015 to 2016 suggest we may be entering a third season of high numbers of scarlet fever infections
Diet & nutrition
Vitamin D deficiency linked to irritable bowel syndrome 2
23rd December 2015 Source: NHS Choices Health News
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common, yet poorly understood, digestive condition that can cause diarrhoea, constipation, (…) abdominal pain and bloating. A small pilot study recruited around 50 people with IBS, who were given blood tests to assess their vitamin D levels. It was found that around 78% of people with IBS did not have enough vitamin D in their bodies.
Folic acid to fortify flour 'would cut birth defects' 18th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
UK experts are backing the call for flour to be fortified with folic acid - a move which they say would have prevented about 2,000 cases of serious birth defects since 1998. The failure to fortify flour has caused serious disabilities, including spina bifida, and resulted in terminations and stillbirths, their study said.
Pupils reduce sugar intake by giving up fizzy drinks 17th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
At Blackpool's St George's School, 15 pupils from Year 8 are sitting in a semi-circle as dental nurse Helen Kellett shows them some popular brands of fizzy drink."One of these drinks has 20 teaspoons of sugar hiding in the can," says Ms Kellett, who goes on to tell the group why sugar-laden soft drinks are particularly bad for the teeth. (…) They have already heard about the dangers of diabetes and obesity, all part of a pitch to harden their resolve to complete the 21-day Gulp (Give Up Loving Pop)Challenge.
Disability
Millions 'suffer in silence' with incontinence 28th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Millions of people in England experience problems with continence but many are not getting the support they need, health officials are warning. In guidance published by NHS England, experts have suggested people "suffer in silence" because they are too embarrassed to talk about the issue. It has called for better training for all staff.
Investigating unexpected deaths - unanswered questions for the NHS 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
The Southern Health saga has opened up a whole range of questions for the NHS about how it investigates deaths amongst patients with learning disabilities.
Drug Misuse
Web sales 'fuel stress drug addiction' 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Deaths linked to a commonly prescribed class of drug, used to treat anxiety and insomnia, reached record levels in England and Wales last year. (…) There were more than 10 million prescriptions for benzodiazepines dispensed in England in 2014, but there are growing concerns about the illegal supply of the drugs.
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Environmental health
Flooding: health guidance and advice 16th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
Flooding presents a number of risks to health. This guidance helps professionals and the public address those risks and clean up safely.
Emergency planning
Winter 2015 floods: government response 28th December 2015 Source: Department for the Environment
Government departments, councils and the Environment Agency are working together to do everything they can to respond to the recent unprecedented rain across the North of England, and to help communities recover from the extreme weather during December 2015.
Health promotion
Why the NHS needs better-behaved patients 24th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
What does the NHS want for Christmas? More money? Yes. More staff? Yes again. But, whisper it quietly, better behaved patients wouldn't go amiss either. In fact, in their more candid moments, it's not unusual to find doctors and nurses having a little moan about the people they care for. Why? Well when the health service is under so much pressure and scrutiny as it struggles with deficits and to hit its targets there seems to be a creeping exasperation with the way some patients use - or perhaps that should be abuse - the system.
'Long-term healthy lifestyle key to preventing cancer' - Professor Karol Sikora 17th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Healthy lifestyles over the long-term are key to preventing cancer, according to specialist Professor Karol Sikora. Speaking to Joanna Gosling on the Victoria Derbyshire programme, he said the importance of diet and exercise should be a public health priority. He made the comments following the publication of a new study, in the journal Nature, which suggests cancer is overwhelmingly a result of environmental factors and not largely down to bad luck.
Health protection
Bacteria that resist 'last antibiotic' found in UK 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Bacteria that resist the most common antibiotic of last resort - colistin - have been discovered in the UK. Officials say the threat to human health is low, but is under ongoing review.
Meningococcal disease cases peak in winter: PHE urges vaccination 16th December 2015 Source: Public Health England 4
Seasonal meningococcal spike prompts call for students to protect themselves against meningitis and blood poisoning.
Health services administration
Considerations for determining local health and care economies 24th December 2015 Source: Monitor
Research and analysis on defining the boundaries of local health and care systems.
Call for NHS bosses to adopt innovation more quickly 23rd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
(…) the system for innovating in the NHS is more fragmented since the controversial reorganisation took effect in April 2013. (…) Any big hospital will have at least 10 viable ideas that could be taken into the market place if the mechanisms were clear and easy." But a report from the Royal College of Surgeons last year warned that NHS patients risk missing out on innovation because adopting new procedures or devices can take years.
Osborne's NHS cash pledge 'has unravelled', says Labour 23rd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
The government's promise of a £3.8bn financial boost for the NHS in England next year has "unravelled", the Labour Party has said. The above-inflation cash injection represents a rise of nearly 4% on NHS England's £101bn front-line budget. But Labour said the money would be swallowed up covering hospital deficits - which are expected to reach £2bn this year - and higher pension costs.
Some hospital trusts make millions a year from car parks 22nd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Some hospital trusts in England are making more than £3m a year from car parking fees, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests have shown. Of more than 90 trusts that responded to FOI requests, half are making at least £1m a year, the news agency Press Association (PA) found.
Does going into hospital make you sick? 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Unpublished research suggests that a stay in hospital weakens us so much that, far from restoring us to health, we are more likely to get sick again after discharge. A professor at Yale says enough is enough - it's time to completely rethink patient care.
Free wi-fi to be provided in all NHS buildings - Jeremy Hunt 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Free wi-fi is to be provided in all NHS buildings in England in a bid to improve services and reduce costs, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said. It will mean patients can use their smart phones or other devices to go online to keep in touch with friends and family or watch on-demand TV.
NHS nursing levels: Nine in 10 hospitals missing targets 5
21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
The vast majority of hospitals in England are struggling to recruit enough nurses, figures show. (…) The figures, published by the NHS, show that hospitals in England are falling short of their own targets for levels of safe staffing.
A&Es 'not equipped to cope with winter' 18th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
A&E units across the UK are not equipped to cope with the rising demands being seen this winter, emergency care doctors say. The warning has been made by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in its weekly update of A&E performance.
Infant & child health
New measures to keep children safe online at school and at home 22nd December 2015 Source: Department for Education
All schools will be required to put in place strengthened measures to protect children from harm online - including cyber bullying, pornography and the risk of radicalisation - under plans unveiled by (the) Education Secretary (…).
Christmas conceptions lead to autumn baby boom 18th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
More babies are conceived at Christmas in England and Wales than at any other time of the year. Two decades of Office for National Statistics data found a surge in births around 40 weeks after the festive period.
Obesity
Weight loss surgery 'cuts risk' of diabetes and heart attacks 23rd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Weight-loss surgery can cut the risk of diabetes and heart attacks as well as keep fat off, a UK study suggests. It is the largest comprehensive investigation of bariatric surgery - spanning around four years in nearly 8,000 patients. The health benefits of the surgery are clear and substantial for people who are severely overweight, the authors told PLoS Medicine. They say 1.4m people in England could benefit.
The idea you can be fat but fit is 'a myth' study argues 21st December 2015 Source: NHS Choices Health News
"No, you can't be fat and fit, say the experts," the Daily Mail reports. A major study involving more than a million men seems to contradict the idea that "obese individuals can fully compensate mortality risk by being physically fit".
Older people
Care homes added to NHS comparison website 23rd December 2015 Source: BBC Health
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The performance of every care home in England can now be compared on an NHS website. Homes have been added to My NHS, part the NHS Choices site, allowing users to leave ratings and reviews to help other people assess services.
New guidelines on end of life care published by NICE 16th December 2015 Source: NHS Choices Health News
"NICE urges doctors to treat dying patients as individuals," BBC News reports. The headline is prompted by the publication of new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on end of life care. The guidelines are designed to replace the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway, which was phased out in 2014.
Prison health
Public health in prisons and secure settings 17th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
Resources to track, treat and prevent single infections and outbreaks in prisons, secure settings and health services
Safety & accident prevention
Children’s book being given out in Scottish A&E to prevent home accidents 16th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
A project aimed at preventing children from taking a second trip to A&E has been launched by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. The hospital has taken delivery of 2,400 copies of The Birthday Party – a book produced by RoSPA to help young children in Scotland learn about how to stay safe at home.
Sexual health
Gonorrhoea 'could become untreatable' 27th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Gonorrhoea could become an untreatable disease, England's chief medical officer has warned. Dame Sally Davies has written to all GPs and pharmacies to ensure they are prescribing the correct drugs after the rise of "super-gonorrhoea" in Leeds.
HPV vaccine offered to gay men for cancer protection 21st December 2015 Source: BBC Health
A cancer vaccination is to be offered to gay men under the age of 45 (…). The jab for the human papilloma virus (HPV) - linked to cervical cancer - has been given to schoolgirls since 2008. Expert advice has said vaccination can offer protection against other types of cancer commonly seen in gay men.
'Sex by deception' - Statement from LGBT Foundation 17th December 2015 Source: Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Foundation
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This week Kyran Lee, a 25 year old trans man, received a two year suspended sentence after being convicted in 2014 of one count of sexual assault by penetration on the basis of obtaining ‘sex through deception.’ This and similar cases could be a cause for concern for trans people who choose not to disclose their trans status with partners before having sex.
Smoking
Smoker's cough 'could be sign of serious disease' 29th December 2015 Source: BBC Health
Smokers are being urged not to dismiss the early signs of a debilitating disease as simply a smoker's cough.
Chronic smoking-related lung disease blights over 1 million lives in England 29th December 2015 Source: Public Health England
Public Health England (has highlighted) the debilitating nature of serious lung diseases for which smoking is the biggest preventable risk factor, after the latest GP figures revealed that more than 1 million people are living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Active and secondhand smoking both linked to early menopause 16th December 2015 Source: NHS Choices Health News
"Women who are heavy or habitual smokers are more likely to experience the menopause earlier [before the age of 50], a study suggests," BBC News reports. The same study found a weaker link for women exposed to secondhand smoke.
Women’s health
Does timing of first pregnancy affect long-term maternal health? 17th December 2015 Source: NHS Choices Health News
"Delaying motherhood is 'better for your health'," the Daily Mail says, reporting that "Women who give birth after the age of 25 'are healthier by the time they’re 40'". However, the picture is a lot more ambiguous than the paper presents.
Local news: []
*This bulletin contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0
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Other Bulletins
Big Four Bulletin This is a weekly Bulletin that details original articles in the BMJ, JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet. http://cash.libraryservices.nhs.uk/cash-service/rss-newsfeed-menu/medicine/big-four-bulletin/
Daily Health Bulletin The Daily Health Bulletin is produced by the Knowledge Service of the West and South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Commissioning Support Unit. http://cash.libraryservices.nhs.uk/cash-service/daily-health-bulletin/
Healthcare Public Health
Monthly bulletin containing news and information about key public health issues including health service commissioning, updates from Public Health England, local authorities, Faculty of Public Health and others agencies, resources and good practice. http://www.healthcarepublichealth.net/newsletters.php
NICE Public Health Awareness Bulletin This is a monthly update highlighting national public health news and information from NICE. https://www.evidence.nhs.uk/about-evidence-services/bulletins-and-alerts/whats-new-in-public- health/public-health-bulletin-archive
PHE Bulletin (Public Health England) The PHE Bulletin is issued monthly and contains public health news and information. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/phe-bulletin
Public Health and Social Care Bulletin This is published weekly and created by Kent & Medway Public Health Observatory. It provides an update on what is new in public health and social care, both nationally and locally. http://www.kmpho.nhs.uk/events-and-updates/bulletins/bulletins-archive/
Public Health Bulletin by NHS Libraries in Thames Valley and Wessex is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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